Metrolink

Metrolink, the commuter railroad that serves Southern California, has overhauled the look and content of its website to make it easier for the public to get information about routes, schedules and tickets. The new features allow commuters to plan trips, find stations, learn about service changes and create personalized accounts, called “My Metrolink.” General news about the railroad also is available as well as a calculator for ticket prices. “The vision was to improve the website's user experience to make riding the train more accessible to everyone in Metrolink's six¿county service area,” said Deborah Golian Castro, the chief executive officer of Creative Productions in Long Beach, which developed the site.

GLENDALE — With its proximity to a propane company and trains traveling at high speeds, the Doran Street railroad crossing carries the most potential risk for disaster, officials said Thursday. It was because of that distinction that Metrolink officials brought "Operation Lifesaver" to Glendale to educate motorists on railroad safety, said Fred Jackson, the agency's safety and training manager. During the operation, Glendale police and railroad authorities cited 28 motorists for stopping on a railroad crossing and two pedestrians on suspicion of trespassing because they were walking on rail property, police said.

Metrolink on Monday previewed a pioneering, $200-million crash prevention project for a top federal safety official, who expressed concern about railroad industry efforts to postpone deadlines for installing the sophisticated train safety system in other parts of the country. Deborah A.P. Hersman, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board , viewed a locomotive and a rail car equipped with positive train control technology and testing gear at a downtown Metrolink rail yard.

More than three years after the deadly Metrolink crash in Chatsworth, the commuter railroad is forging ahead with the most sophisticated collision avoidance system in the country despite efforts in Congress to relax requirements to install the safety improvement nationwide. Metrolink already has made substantial progress developing its $201-million positive train control system, which uses an array of electronic gear to monitor and, if necessary, take control of trains to prevent collisions and derailments.

Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian is considering putting a motion before the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in hopes that seven of his colleagues will vote to overturn a decision to replace him on a rail oversight board. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, the incoming chairman of the MTA board of directors, is moving to replace Najarian as a Metrolink director with county Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose district comes nowhere close to having the rail infrastructure of the Burbank/Glendale corridor.

Metrolink officials are warning of possible systemwide delays after a complication with a water main near Union Station. Metrolink spokesman Scott Johnson said that the agency was notified of a problem with a water main near the area where Riverside Drive crosses the Los Angeles River about 10:50 a.m. Wednesday and that Twitter messages were sent out as a preemptive strategy to warn passengers of the issue. One of the Twitter messages encourages passengers "to take an earlier train in order to reach their final destination on time.

LOS ANGELES — A civil court judge Tuesday heard arguments from defense attorneys about liability and costs in a class-action lawsuit regarding the 2005 Metrolink train derailment in Glendale that killed 11 people. Attorney Brian Hershman, who represents Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, complained to Judge Emilie Elias during a hearing at the Central Civil West Courthouse that the Sheriff’s Department is being held just as liable as Metrolink in the lawsuit.

GLENDALE — A Glendale Public Works employee was one of several plaintiffs Tuesday who joined in the growing front of legal action against Metrolink for the September commuter train crash in Chatsworth that killed 25 and injured 135 others. Public Works Administrator Mike Wiederkehr joined at least five other passengers injured in the Sept. 12 crash in filing a complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday against the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, which operates Metrolink, and two subcontractors, seeking punitive damages and compensation for medical expenses.

LOS ANGELES — A class-action lawsuit against Metrolink over the 2005 derailment that killed 11 passengers continued to move ahead Monday after a Superior Court judge dismissed a defense motion that argued the trial would set a dangerous precedent. Attorney James Wakefield, who is representing Metrolink in the civil proceedings, told Superior Court Judge Emilie Elias that the crossing near the scene of the crash was similar to other right-of-way situations throughout the nation, and so allowing a class-action lawsuit to proceed would be the equivalent of calling hundreds of railroad crossings overtly dangerous.

Metrolink commuters in Burbank who use the Ventura County lines won a bit of a reprieve this week when the transit agency tentatively agreed to cut fewer trains from the schedule. Metrolink had planned on cutting 12 trains, but after Los Angeles County officials agreed to chip in about $318,000, the planned reduction was whittled down to four. While it may be good news for those commuters who faithfully use the rail transit system, the cutback is indicative of the struggles both sides are experiencing as they try to “find each other.

Metrolink officials are warning of possible systemwide delays after a complication with a water main near Union Station. Metrolink spokesman Scott Johnson said that the agency was notified of a problem with a water main near the area where Riverside Drive crosses the Los Angeles River about 10:50 a.m. Wednesday and that Twitter messages were sent out as a preemptive strategy to warn passengers of the issue. One of the Twitter messages encourages passengers "to take an earlier train in order to reach their final destination on time.

After hearing from victims of the deadly Metrolink crash in Chatsworth, the Los Angeles City Council vowed Wednesday to look into a $160-million city contract awarded to a transportation company linked to the rail disaster. The crash killed 25 people, including commuters from Burbank and Glendale. Council members said they would direct the city's Department of Transportation to review the contract given earlier this month to Veolia Transportation Inc. to operate part of the city's popular DASH shuttle bus system.

Metrolink on Monday previewed a pioneering, $200-million crash prevention project for a top federal safety official, who expressed concern about railroad industry efforts to postpone deadlines for installing the sophisticated train safety system in other parts of the country. Deborah A.P. Hersman, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board , viewed a locomotive and a rail car equipped with positive train control technology and testing gear at a downtown Metrolink rail yard.

Glendale Councilman Ara Najarian on Monday decided to take a “wait-and-see” approach in his efforts to overturn a decision to replace him on a rail oversight board. At the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority meeting on Monday, Najarian held off on floating a motion to keep him on the Metrolink board until more of his supporters can be in attendance, he said. Those supporters - Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and real estate broker Mel Wilson, whose firm serves the San Fernando Valley - had given prior notice that they would not be at the meeting, so Najarian decided to hold off on a motion to overturn a decision by Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, the incoming chairman of the MTA board of directors, to replace him on the Metrolink board with county Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.

City Councilman Ara Najarian has a political decision to make this weekend: fight to keep his seat on the Metrolink board of directors, or fold. On Monday, Najarian could lose his influential seat on the rail oversight board, likely in retaliation for diverging from the positions of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich on a couple of key issues - the Measure R tax extension and the controversial 710 Freeway extension. As chairman of the county Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which appoints members to the Metrolink board, Antonovich has the power to move people around as he sees fit, and that's just what he intends to do Monday, replacing Najarian with fellow Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.

Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian is considering putting a motion before the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in hopes that seven of his colleagues will vote to overturn a decision to replace him on a rail oversight board. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, the incoming chairman of the MTA board of directors, is moving to replace Najarian as a Metrolink director with county Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose district comes nowhere close to having the rail infrastructure of the Burbank/Glendale corridor.

Ron Kaye has it wrong again! (“ The most ruthless game ," July 14,) Having Antonovich boot out Najarian from Metrolink is actually a good thing. Next to Ron Paul, Antonovich is my favorite Republican. Last year we had Zarian booted out of the MTA by the governor, and this year we get Najarian kicked out of Metrolink. These were the two guys who celebrated the expensive freeway to nowhere - the useless bridge to the Disney campus that hardly anyone uses. We don't need to go very far to see that Najarian's vision on transportation is myopic.

Welcome to the first edition of the San Fernando Valley roundup. We read through the news of the greater 818 area to bring you the best tidbits. Enjoy today's buffet of news from North Hollywood, San Fernando, Sherman Oaks and Conoga Park.  Did Steve Carell deliver a pizza in North Hollywood? Rumors are swiriling that the star of "The Office" jumped behind the wheel after someone failed to show up for work. North Hollywood Patch  A person was struck and killed by a Metrolink train in San Fernando Monday morning.

More than three years after the deadly Metrolink crash in Chatsworth, the commuter railroad is forging ahead with the most sophisticated collision avoidance system in the country despite efforts in Congress to relax requirements to install the safety improvement nationwide. Metrolink already has made substantial progress developing its $201-million positive train control system, which uses an array of electronic gear to monitor and, if necessary, take control of trains to prevent collisions and derailments.

A $3.2-million project for intersection and rail improvements at the rail crossing at Buena Vista and Van Owen streets is scheduled to begin in March after more than five years of trying to accumulate enough funding for the work. The project has been on the books since 2005 and is tapping up to eight funding sources to break ground, city officials said. “It's something that's been a long time coming and I'm ready to start construction as soon as possible,” Burbank Assistant Public Works Director Ken Johnson said.